Track-laying motor vehicle



Malch 1s 1924. 1,487,340

N. KRQUPSKY TRACK LAYING MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Aug. 51. 1921v 1 i 2 I g Q INVENTOR Patented Mar. 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS KROUIB SKY, NEW YORK, Y.

TRACK-LAYING MOTOR VEHICLE To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, NICHOLAS KRoUPsKir,

a citizen of Russia. residing in the borough of Manhattan. of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements lII'TI'aCk- Laying Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a-specification, reference being had to 3 the accompanying drawlngs, forming a part. v V

' to a suitable drive wheel a. The rim of hereof.

It has been proposed heretofore inbtrac-ijf tors of the track laying type to provide'a-j track of nonmetallic material having some.

degree of resiliency in place of the usual metal tracks which are necessarily bee and noisy and definitely limit the speed a I which the vehicle can be propelled. Such a non-metallic track has, for instance, been formed of fabricated rubber provided with inwardly extending lugs of the same ma-' terial and of suitable shape adapted to travel in suitable grooves formed in the treads of the driving wheels and idler rolls. While this construction may be said to have certain advantages over the use of metal tracks on metal rolls it has been found that the lugs are disadvantageous, both as regards manufacturing considerations and practical requirements in use. Their very compressibility, for instance, makes the drive impositive and after some degree of wear the slip age becomes excessive. Also,

their durabihty is not such as to make the construction most practical under field conditions.

It is the principal object of the presentinvention to improve the construction of nonmetallic tracks for track laying motor vehicles and the driving elements therefor to the end that not only may the belt be manufactured with greater facility'and the component parts thereof replaced with ease when necessary, but greatly improved results in operation and durability achieved.

For a fuller understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example, and in somewhat conventional form, the improvements which constitute the subject matter of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in transverse section I throu h a drive wheel indicating the rela- "and track being broken away in the interest of clearness.

Figure 3 is a detail view in plan of the tread 'of the track.

' 'While this invention is not concerned with the details of construction of the drive wheel or of the idler and supporting rolls .by which the track is driven and supported, the drawings show the relation of the track each of two-wheels a has tread portions a, a with prox mate inwardly inclined and opposed circumferential flanges a a formed on the inner edges of the portions (1', a, respectively. The proximate faces of the flanges a a on the drive wheel are faced with any suitable. friction material, indicated at c, for driving purposes as will later appear.

The improved track is indicated at d.

In retaining all of the advantages of nonmetallic tracks, the material employed may be of fabricated rubber or the like on the tread portion of which may be molded or otherwise provided projections d to improve the ground grip as will be understood. In accordance with proposed practises a track, such as (Z, has molded on its inner surface suitable lugs adapted to be engaged in driving relation by the driving wheels and to co-operate with idler supporting or other rolls to guide the track and hold it against lateral displacement. It has been found, however, that where these lugs are of non-metallic material their compressibility makes them unsatisfactory as driven elements for engagement by the driving devices and their susceptibility to wear and distortion likewise greatly reduces the efliciency of the drive. Their life is short and the failure ofany one unit makes it practically impossible to replace such unit while preserving the usefulness of the remainder of the track by reason of the homogeneous construction. These and other incidental disadvanta s of such construction are eliminated the improvements herein which consist, hriefly in the ap lication of non-metallic lugs e of suita legrooves of the drive Wheel. The Width of the blocks is such that the opposed side faces will be snugly embraced in driving engagement by the friction facing c onthe flanges a a. The blocks themselves, of course, are so spaced and inclined, as to permit free flexing of the track at when changing direction, as indicated in Figure 2. Any approved means for securing the blocks 6 to the inner face of the track d, such as rivets e or the like, may be employed, the invention notbeing limited in this respect. In order to insure further c011- formation of the blocks to changes in direction of the track, it is preferable to formtheirbases along an are having a radius equal to the radius of the curvature of the wheel (1.. Such a curved base is indicated ordinary degree of wear.

The blocks 0 are of metal and unyielding. They serve as eflicient driven units for engagement by the driving fabric 0 and are not specially susceptible to more than the WVhen molded and attached to the track (1 they conform uniformly to the drive wheel a, and to any idl r rolls which may be provided on the vehicle. When necessary any one of the blocks e maybe readily removed from the track and replaced without disturbing any of the other component parts of the track or shortening its life of usefulness,

driving purposes supported on the proximate faces of said flanges and a track passing over said wheel and provided on its inner face with a series of independent incompressible spaced blocks adapted to be engaged in driving relation with said driving means on said flanges.

2. In a motor vehicle of the track laying type, drive wheels having spaced circumferentially tread portions. proximate flanges on the rims and inwardly inclined and faced with separate friction material, a non-metallic track passing over the wheel and a series of independent incompressible spaced metal blocks of pyramidal form adapted to engage said friction material in driving relation. and means to secure the blocks to th track.

This specification signed this 26th day of August A. D. 1921.

NICHOLAS KROUPSKY. 

